February Photo A Day: Let the photo-taking begin!

February 1, 2013

Hello!

Pinch and a punch for the first day of the month! February is here and it’s time for a new month of photo-taking. Above is the new list for February 2013 and below are all the details on how to play. It’s very wordy, so just flick through to the parts that you want/need to know about.

Don’t forget to get the calendar reminders – Doug has kindly put them together again for us. They’ll download into your phone or computer’s calendar and remind you each day, details are below.

How to play!

Playing along with photo a day is super easy:
♥ Check out the February photo a day list.
♥ Each day look at the daily prompt and take a photo according to whatever the prompt is. For example for day 1 the prompt is FORK. Now… forks are boring right. Well, it’s a great opportunity to get creative. Go out to a cafe for lunch and take a photo of the table there. Or take a snap inside your cutlery drawer. Be inspired by a little creativity and see what you come up with. You could even take a photo of a fork in the road… let your imagination take you away!
♥ Once you’ve taken the photo it’s time to share it. There are loads of places you can share it. See below for more details.
♥ Check out other people’s photos. You can browse through them on my Facebook page, in the FMS Photo A Day Facebook group. Or on Instagram or Twitter just search for the #FMSphotoaday hashtag to see them all.

Where to play?

There are loads of places to be social and share your photos with the #FMSphotoaday community:

♥ Instagram: Just upload your photo, use a fancy filter, add a caption and the hashtag #FMSphotoaday and then share.
♥ Facebook: There are a few options here. You can simply share on your own personal page, among your own friends. Or you can upload to my page’s wall, or I’ve created a Facebook group for 2013. You can join it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FMSphotoaday/
♥ Blog: If you have a blog, you could share each day or do a wrap up of all the photos at the end of the month.
♥ Tumblr: Add your daily photos to your Tumblr feed.
♥ Flickr: I’ll be playing around more with Flickr in the New Year. You can get their app {for free if I remember correctly} and share your photos there, or upload on their web version. We also have a photo a day group here.
♥ Twitter: You can share on Twitter by uploading the photo and sharing the hashtag #FMSphotoaday. Easy.

Now I know a few people are concerned about the Instagram changes and want to explore other places to share. You can definitely use the above platforms. I’m also going to explore some other apps as well, particularly EyeEm.

How do I remember the prompts?

There are a few ways you can grab the list or remember the prompts:
♥ Come back here each day and click the button on the right-hand side to check out the list.
♥ Right-click on the list above and save it to your desktop. Or if you’re on your phone you could take a screenshot and save it as your wallpaper. {To screenshot click the power button and home button at the same time}.
♥ The very fabulous Doug has created a calendar for us. You can have the prompts added to your phone’s calendar by clicking here. It will open your calendar program and ask if you want to add the calendar. This works on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Mac and PC. Alternatively you can view the calendar online in your browser here. {I know some people are having issues with getting the links to work – apparently if you copy the link and paste into your browser – Safari works best – that’s a way to get it to work}.

What’s the fab four?

Each day I’ll be picking four photos on eachInstagram and Facebook that have caught my attention, and sharing them to my Facebook and Instagram. To have your photos in the running you can just share them to my Facebook page or the FMS Photo A Day group or the #FMSphotoaday Instagram feed, or both. It’s not a competition – just a fun way to put the spotlight on some photos from the community.

What do the prompts mean?

There are no rules when playing along with photo a day, you can be creative as you like! Interpret the prompt as you please. For those that need a little help, some more suggested details about each prompt are below:

1. Fork: Everyone has a fork lying around at home, or work, right? Get creative and see how you can shoot it with a little style.2. Pattern: Look around and see where you can find pattern in your day. Is it in something you’re wearing? In a rug you come across in your travels? On some wallpaper, a book or something else?3. Something beginning with ‘E': Take a photo of something beginning with the letter E.4. Hope: Oh, a hard one. How would you photograph hope? Is it something you wish for? Someone who gives you hope? A quote that brings hope to your life?5. Something you smelled: What’s something you came across today that smelled {or smelt depending on where you live}. Take a photo of it.6. Soft: Take a photo of something deliciously soft.7. Your name: This is a fun way to get to know each other. Perhaps you could take a photo of a name badge you use for work {or even an old one}, your name on an award you received, or perhaps you can scribble down your name on paper and show us that way?8. Something orange: Find something orange or a few things and take a photo.9. Guilty pleasure: What’s something you enjoy but kinda feel guilty about doing so. Chocolate, expensive magazines, fancy shoes… do tell!10. 3 o’clock: Take a photo of whatever you’re doing in the hour between three and four. It could be in the middle of the night {you party animal, you!} or during the day.11. Entrance: Think of a door, a gate, an archway… a way of getting through to another place. Which entrance will you choose?12. Where you ate lunch: Where did you eat lunch today? At your favourite cafe? On the floor with the kids? At your work/school canteen? Share it. We wanna see!13. Walking: Take a walk today, even if it’s just a short one – and show us what you see.14. Love is…: It’s Valentine’s Day so show us what love means to you. Is it a heart, a person, a feeling?15. Inside your fridge: Give us a sneak peek into your life. What’s inside your fridge?16. Perfect: Take a photo of something you think is perfect. A beautiful flower, your child, a painting… anything.17. In your hand: Take a photo of something in your hand.18. Something you don’t like: Personally, I don’t like making my bed. What don’t you like?19. I am…: Share something about you. Are you tired? Brave? Strong? Happy? Or even take a self-portrait.20. Where you stood: Go about your day and take a photo of where you stood. It could be on the train platform on the way to work, or amongst the laundry at home, or at the park, or at the movies… anywhere!21. Full: Take a photo of full. A jar full of something? Or interpret it another way if you like {you creative thing you!}22. Makes you smile: What’s making you happy right now? Take a photo of it.23. A word: Capture a word. It could be some graffiti on a wall, a sign, a book title…24. Cloud: Take a photo of a cloud today {let’s hope the weather plays nice today!}25. On your bedside table: What’s on your bedside table? And if you don’t have one… what’s beside your bed?26. Quiet: Take a photo of quiet. What does it look like to you?27. Playing: How do you have fun? Capture play in your life.28. Upside down: Take a photo of something upside down. Should be fun!

Two little changes in 2013:

♥ I get a lot of requests for charities to be involved in the photo a day challenges, and I’ve had trouble figuring how I could make it work. I thought that in 2013 we could donate a prompt to a charity and bring some awareness.

For February we’re bringing awareness to World Cancer Day on February 4th. It’s about bringing awareness to cancer, dispelling myths and supporting those who are suffering with the disease. The prompt is HOPE. So take a photo on the 4th and show your hope. You can add the hashtag #worldcancerday as well on the day. This infographic explains it really well.

♥ Also starting this month we’ve added some reader prompts to the list. ‘Guilty pleasure’ was the most voted for prompt and that was suggested by Kate. Runners up were ‘in your hand’ by Esther Emma and ‘upside down’ by Kim. Thanks ladies.

Feb 1 is fork and I have to sit in meetings all day. Hmmmm…. maybe a picture of me gouging my eye out with a fork?

http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/ Chantelle : Fat Mum Slim

Ha!

Debi

I’ve been dealing with depression and anxiety for the past 8 months or so. I’m using your photo a day as a little project to partly keep me busy, use as a pick me up and to get creative. Wish me luck!

Deb

Wow, are you me? 😉 We have (almost) the same name, and I am in the same situation as you are. I decided to do the photo a day for the same reasons! Good luck, and wish you the best!

Ruthie

I am in for February also… I am not an expert but I am up for fun!

http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/ Chantelle : Fat Mum Slim

None of us are experts, don’t worry!

http://www.facebook.com/gretchenmills Gretchen Mallen Mills

If I tag you with an @, will you see my pictures? Just wondering as that is how I’ve been posting them.

http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/ Chantelle : Fat Mum Slim

I don’t think that works on Facebook – but on Instagram – yep. Where are you sharing your pics?

http://www.facebook.com/soccer.to.snow.skacat Christopher R. Otañez

Im in it and did last month to.

CaAtherine

I’m in! Ill be sharing on Instagram

http://www.facebook.com/jodie.monkleyoneill Jodie Monkley

I’m in also

Debra

I’m in! I started mid-January, but plan to catch up on the ones I missed at some point. I’m tweaking my challenge a bit and posting two photos (sometimes the same subject with different filters, sometimes different subjects) on my blog: http://photoaday2ways.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/lorraine.hope.906 Lorraine Hope

Looking forward to having a go at this, even tho technically challenged computerwise.

http://www.facebook.com/ScottMackenzie01 Scott Mackenzie

Thanks for the fun game! First time I’ve done something like this with the Photo A Day in February. On Instagram, it’s been great! I’ve Met some really cool, nice and creative people I never would have met. Twitter-not much going on there. Facebook-thats a mixed bag, some enjoy the pix, some don’t, and Some have been a little vicious since they don’t quite understand, its just a game. But like you say: Have fun! and that’s what I’ve most enjoyed about it. Thanks again!

I like to eat cake, laugh, sing {badly}, explore, dream big, shop, take pictures of clouds.